Within Our Gates

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Ruhaan A Good purpose. Very boring though. No need to watch it but is a classic for sure Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Although this film may have been good for it's time it definitely has not aged well. It's rather racist by today's standards and it's also boring for most of the first half. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/22/22 Full Review William L Even among its contemporaries, Within Our Gates is certainly lacking in technical capability and structure, but compensates for it largely based on the uniquely early surviving perspective of the black experience (particularly the struggle for civil rights and education) in the early part of the 20th century when Jim Crow was in full force. It benefits from the authenticity of its source, Micheaux in his triple role as director, writer, and producer, to provide a sincere view of the multiple perspectives on the systemic problems - both social and political - restricting the black population. Yes, the story is jagged on the whole and the performances are pretty dodgy, but Within Our Gates is unique in the history of film and contains early visual validation of the conditions of racial disparity throughout the United States in the early 20th century. The commentaries on the potentially oppressive role of religion in the establishment of formal education and advancement are particularly thought-provoking. (3/5) Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/27/20 Full Review Audience Member The best movie ever made! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review david l Within Our Gates is interestingly directed by Oscar Micheaux due to quick editing, the use of a lot of intertitles and a very urgent tone to it. The film is flawed owing to weaker acting and too many characters, but it's still very well plotted with a particularly interesting twist ending and of course it's a very important movie for being the oldest surviving film about black people and directed by a black director. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The oldest surviving film written and directed by a black man. Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer) is rejected by her fiance after being set up by her cousin, so she moves to the south and helps a struggling school that educates poor black children. Oscar Micheaux seems to have a tendency to write ambitious and complex plots that are too difficult to convey using the tools available in silent cinema. His films contain striking images, but are often quite difficult to follow. This film contains numerous side plots that really don't seem to contribute to the main narrative of the film. It does take an abrupt turn near the end and tells a disturbing story of how Sylvia's father was blamed for a crime he didn't commit and her entire family was lynched. It's an amazingly frank and appropriately brutal sequence that leaves a lasting impression. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Within Our Gates

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